Impacts of Industrialisation

Five Year Plans

There were five, Five Year Plans (FYP) which increased industrial output in the Soviet Union

Coal

1929: 35 million tonnes

1941: 150 million tonnes

Oil

1929: 12 million tonnes

1941: 26 million tonnes

Steel

1929: 3 million tonnes

1941: 18 million tonnes

Electricity

1929: 18 kWh

1941: 90 kWh

As a result Russian GDP doubled by 1941

However some of these figures are said to be exaggerated

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Impacts

These excellent output figures from the FYP, slightly improved working conditions and wages

They helped Russia survive the Great Depression throughout the 1930s unharmed

Also helped Russia survive an attack from the Nazis in 1941

While the party, state and economy enjoyed these successes the workers suffered the wrath of them: there wages and working conditions did not improve- as a result many workers ended up living in the same house and sleeping in the same bedroom

Industrialisation made the Soviet economy increasingly unbalanced also as much of it was fed into the industrial output

In 1935 Alexei Stakhanov claimed to have single handedly cut 100 million tonnes of coal- 14 times than the quota stated- many workers tried to copy this however instead of helping production increase it slowed it down leading to an overall loss